


om du möter varg

by consensualmindcontrol (occultdeck), occultdeck



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Fix-It of Sorts, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Puppet Cloud Strife, Some people live AU, gay telepathy, humor and general silliness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:28:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23824591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/occultdeck/pseuds/consensualmindcontrol, https://archiveofourown.org/users/occultdeck/pseuds/occultdeck
Summary: After the planet has narrowly escaped devastation, and most things are back to normal, Aerith receives an unexpected call.
Relationships: Sephiroth/Cloud Strife
Comments: 14
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

In the Sector 5 slums, Aerith was busy. Busy busy busy. The mid-morning sun shone through the area warmly, giving just enough nourishment for her flowers. It wasn't always this nice, but once in a while, the sun was bright. With the Planet barely recovering from the ultimate devastation, she had a lot of work to do. Her peonies, her sunflowers, her forget-me-nots, they needed to be replanted and moved away from the area they were in. They didn’t seem to do too well when the local punks that somehow still remained kept running over them. She’s never caught them, but she knew that if she did, they would be getting a beating.

This was Aerith’s new ‘usual’. She wasn’t without friends, she knew of them, knew they were most likely alive. She could feel the presence of them, still on the Planet, living their lives. They weren’t necessarily happy, but they weren’t in the Lifestream, so that’s something, isn’t it? 

She liked to get together with Cloud and Barret and Tifa as often as she could, but they were running around doing small things in their sides of town. Really, everything seemed small when the life of the Planet wasn’t at stake. She hummed and returned to her work. But, of course, right when she did, her phone rang.

It was a call from a number that she didn’t want to have, but nonetheless, it rang with his name lit up on the screen. Surprised, but mostly irritated, she pressed the button down and waited. She gritted her teeth in annoyance. She knew he was alive, dammit. His voice was as cold and professional as usual - a classic work call voice for Sephiroth. This would be all good and well if the circumstances were normal. 

“Ms. Gainsborough. Are you in Midgar right now?”

“Hello? Oh, haha, I think that, um, you might have the wrong number - my name is actually Silva...” She paused. “The name Gainsborough is one that I do not know…”

“I see. Well, if you are Silva, then I can be Zephiroth and make it a bit easier for us.”

Aerith rolled her eyes. No escape from this guy, huh.

“Then, Silva, is it? I need a favor.”

“I’m sure we all do, Mr. Zephiroth, but mind you, I --”

“Where are you right now? Midgar, I presume?”

She looked around. Did he put cameras in the church? Either way, he probably knew, since Shinra had an eye on everything. Wait, he wasn't a part of Shinra anymore. Maybe he really was guessing. 

“Costa Del Sol, actually. I’m in a cafe in Costa Del Sol. I’m having the most wonderful parfait.”

Sephiroth made something of a tsk noise. “I’m on my way, then. I’ll call you when I arrive at the airport.”

Covered in dirt and sweat, Aerith stood up. She supposed she could use a vacation - take a half day and relax.

She would take her time, of course. Time to book a ticket and take a nice shower.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> let's see what cloud is up to~

_Cloud. Cloud. We will fight until there is nothing left of us…_

Sephiroth's words were not merely spoken - they rang through his head to make sure he understood. The world was gray and destroyed. Seventh Heaven, his home, Tifa’s home - everything was crumbling away. His friends around him lay dead and forgotten, a pile of bodies. The only thing that Cloud knew was pure bloodlust. He needed to protect himself and, most importantly, avenge his friends.

Blood dripped down Cloud’s forehead as Sephiroth pounced on him with intent to kill. He was no match for his speed. It was over in a second - Cloud’s scream broke through his dream as he gasped back into reality.

 _Ah. A nightmare,_ he thought _._

Cloud wiped the sweat off of his forehead and heaved until he caught his breath. Everything was hot. So hot. In January, no less. He sighed and turned his head towards his alarm clock. He managed to make out a four. Four, really? He didn’t need to be awake for another two hours.

Cloud put his head in his hands and sighed. Time for a shower, he guessed. There was a lot of odds and ends to attend to today.

Sephiroth was gone, yes, but the nightmares never stopped. He felt like Sephiroth still spoke to him sometimes, but he chalked it up to delusion and stress. It wasn’t real. It wasn’t. But then, why did it feel that way?

 _..Whatever_ , Cloud thought. He stepped into his little shower.

Cloud scrubbed his hair, staying outside of the cold water’s range. It was too damn cold and unpleasant. He cleaned his body unceremoniously and stepped out of the shower like an angry cat. It was four in the morning, how could there be no hot water? At least it helped with his body’s fever dream temperature. Thinking positive was a fool’s errand sometimes, he swore.

Cloud scruffed his old, scratchy towel all over his head and kept it there. He sat cross-legged on the floor of his run down one-bedroom apartment and started maintenance on his Buster Sword. Not much else to do, he thought, as he waited for the sun to rise. In his wet and tired state, he tried to avoid thinking. 

It didn’t work.

His mind wandered to Sephiroth, as it always did, and the feelings of guilt, shame, and anger came right along with it. He focused everything on his weapon in an attempt to harden his resolve. He looked out the window, seeing the sky slowly become dyed a different color, not knowing what sort of day lay ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!! <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> aerith makin her way downtown

Aerith untied her hair and let it fall to the side. She rocked her head from side to side to even out her part. She stepped out of her usual clothes as the shower water heated up.

She hadn’t done a full day’s work, but she supposed it could wait, even though she didn’t want to. If she let him wait too long, it would get dangerous. Dangerously annoying. Nothing she can’t handle, of course, but one interruption is better than several. 

The steam of her shower was warm and refreshing. Getting so clean in the morning almost made her sleepy. Her floral body wash was light and pleasant - it made almost all of the fear go away. 

Almost.

What was this feeling? Anticipation? Anxiety? Fear? She couldn’t put her finger on it. It wasn’t like he seemed… violent. He seemed more desperate than bloodthirsty. Asking for help seems out of the question for someone like him. Then again, she didn’t really know Sephiroth. What did he want, and why did it involve her? Wasn’t he strong enough to try to destroy the world by himself?

Aerith considered giving Cloud a call - it was almost nostalgic to ask him to protect her. But it was out of the question. She could handle it herself. If Cloud knew that Sephiroth was alive, he would never sleep again. She had to protect him this time.

Aerith’s mother gave her a worried look as she announced her departure with a smile.

“I’ll be back, maybe even tomorrow?” She fastened her coat - a short, sandy coat lined with fleece.

Elmyra nodded with one of her hands closed around the other.

It was chilly, but not enough to bother Aerith. She could see her breath in the air as she tread rhythmically to the train station.

Aerith looked straight ahead. The area wasn’t exactly scenic, but the little plants finding a way to sprout and survive was always one of her favorite things to see. She continued her little journey.

“One adult for Costa Del Sol, please.”

The man running the ticket booth looked at her really hard, furrowing his brows as if trying to recognize someone.

She looked back inquisitively. He looked at her for a second longer, and then her ticket printed. She tore it away from the dispenser and thanked the man.

That was weird, but okay, she thought to herself.

She boarded the train, looking around for a seat. It was rather empty. It made sense, considering very few people went to the beach in the Winter, much less having the money after widespread catastrophe. 

The speaker above her crackled, “Please remain seated. This train is departing to COSTA DEL SOL. We are expected to arrive at ONE-THIRTY TWO PM.” The words didn’t sync up well, making the voice sound especially robotic and strange when announcing the time and location.

Aerith looked out the window. Maybe Sephiroth would give her a call soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sephiroth's morning

_ Sephiroth, my son… awaken. Awaken! _

Sephiroth sat straight up in the darkness, the feeling of his bed and scratchy blanket unfamiliar. He looked around - his enhanced vision helped a bit, but it was mostly his half-asleep brain that reminded him that he was in a hotel.

He sighed and opened his cellphone. Four am. The red and blue glow of Jenova in his mind’s eye was worse than any nightmare he could possibly have. 

Today, like every day, Sephiroth awoke to several messages, one every hour. 

“This is an automated text. SHINRA, INC. requests your immediate presence in our Midgar headquarters.”

He had snapped his work phone in half ages ago, but they persisted. He bought a new phone, and they found him. Rinse and repeat.

He put his head in his hands, wondering how he got here. 

Six months ago, Cloud had defeated him inside the North Cave. He had ascended to godhood, never to return to his mortal form. But three months in the Lifestream and the whisperings and blessings (curses, truly) of Jenova had brought him back. Sephiroth had risen once again, covered in mako. He pulled himself out of the Planet again and again, and he wondered if he would ever be granted the privilege of death. Since then, he had been disguising himself as well as he could, trying to avoid Shinra. It wasn’t very successful, but he had yet to be pursued in person. He honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he had a microchip that they were able to track.

Sephiroth was having what you call ‘a bit of a time’. Things were going better than they were, after all, Hojo was dead and not breathing down his neck anymore. Shinra, however, in shambles as it is, was still breathing. Running around a world still controlled by Shinra was a challenge. He was practically a wanted man. He could only ignore so many eyebrow raises and glances at inns in the middle of nowhere.

The mako eyes weren’t uncommon to see, but his hair was definitely a giveaway. Try as he might to pin it away, it was quite long. Many times he had considered cutting it all off, but that only meant he was leaving a trail to be followed. He could only ‘be on vacation’ for so long.

To make things worse, Jenova would not leave him alone. Whether he was awake or asleep, she urged him to try again.  _ Try again, or you’re useless to me. _ The Planet needed to be destroyed. Go find that boy again, he  _ will _ help you, even if it’s the last thing he does. He could be reading a book in the middle of nowhere, and in the corner of his mind, she would be there.

This was the biggest annoyance about being alive. He had considered it for ages, never to act on it, but he needed help. Though it brought him great displeasure to interact with anyone, the Cetra girl was probably the only person that could vanquish this creature. It was like an exorcism for aliens. She knew how to do that, right? Only one way to find out.

He assumed she was in Midgar, selling her flowers. At least, that was according to Shinra’s data, because they kept tabs on her, too. He didn’t feel right about it, considering their past, but he needed to get into contact with her somehow.

He thought about her circle of contacts. Who did she know? The Turks, for sure, but they weren’t friends… he also didn’t want to contact them. That girl, Tifa… she would kill him for sure… Any member of AVALANCHE was out, actually, except…

Cloud.

He focused his thoughts on Cloud. He was often able to push his thoughts into Cloud’s mind, strangely, but it wasn’t ideal. He could just as easily chalk it up to hallucinations.

He didn’t know where Cloud was, or what time it was for him because he was likely on another continent, but… he would have to try.


	5. Chapter 5

It was midday. During his work, Cloud was hit with the most intense headache he had in months. He dropped the box he was carrying to hold his head and promptly fell to the ground.

His ears rang, and all he could hear was “Cloud… can you...hear me?” reverberating through the area. He looked around feverishly. Was someone talking to him? Or... could anyone else hear that? The people in the surrounding area gave him a glance and then looked away. It was just him, it seemed like.

_Cloud. Cloud. Cloud._

The pain that came with the voice he was hearing - undoubtedly, Sephiroth’s, continued to assault his head. The voice, though, had an uncertain tone. It seemed like he was unsure of himself, not knowing if he could actually reach him. It was as if he were testing a microphone, interference included. Cloud wanted to think it was a hallucination, but it was too real. But at the same time, there was no way Sephiroth was alive…

Cloud felt a little woozy. He stood on his feet, and started walking north.

 _Wait. The box. The box,_ Cloud thought, in an attempt to ground himself. Still, the voice returned.

_Cloud, come to Icicle Village. I require your assistance._

_I’m still at work, goddamnit,_ he thought, hoping that he would get the message.

For the first time, the voice replied to him. _Very well,_ it said, _I will await you at the Icicle Inn._

Cloud shook his head, and the pain dulled, but the throbbing remained. He didn’t want to think that was real, but he sure didn’t know what the hell it was otherwise.

Sephiroth was… alive…? Maybe it was another one of Jenova’s tricks. He was sure he could deal with it himself. Tired after his day of work, he (reluctantly) steered the Tiny Bronco towards the northern continent. He wanted to be afraid, but he wasn’t. He couldn’t bring himself to be. His mind and body were blank - they only served to carry him ever forward. After all, Sephiroth was calling - he had no choice but to answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry, i know this chapter is short! it was either this or a ridiculously long chapter >v>


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THEY FINALLY MEET

Sephiroth paced around his meager hotel room. He wanted to look decent for his mortal enemy - wait, he was just Cloud now - well, he doesn’t know how Cloud really feels about all of this, actually, so...

The phone by his bedside rang.

“Sir, there is a man who insists on coming to see you but he refuses to give his name because it “doesn’t matter”. May I send him up?”

 _That’s Cloud, alright._

“Please do. I’ve been expecting him.”

Cloud walked up the stairs in a daze. He didn’t realize this, but he kept groaning to himself.

Cloud knocked on his door. Sephiroth opened the door wide for him, and gestured inside.

He crumbled to the ground immediately. “Sss...Sephiroth…”

“Cloud! Cloud. Snap out of it.” He knelt down and held his shoulder. Sephiroth surprised even himself with such a human gesture.

“Aaaaaaaaaa…………...aaaaaa…” Cloud’s eyes were blank, and that was the only noise that would come out of him.

Cloud looked around, and rose to his feet. “Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…. Bastard.”

He reached up his hands to pull on Sephiroth’s shirt collar, and Sephiroth caught his hands. “Stop, Cloud. Why are you doing this? The fight is over.”

“You put me in a trance to bring me to you, across CONTINENTS, while I was at my JOB.”

Sephiroth’s first thought was not “Of course I did, means to an end, you fool.” but _I did?_

He crossed his arms and thought for a moment. “I take it you wouldn’t believe me if I said it wasn’t intentional.”

Cloud threw a punch, and Sephiroth took it. “Believe _what!?_ ”

He grabbed his sword off his back. “I have no reason to believe anything you say, or why you would even be alive. How do I know you’re not being controlled by Jenova?”

He swung his blade, and Sephiroth caught it in his hand, drawing blood.

“Very well. If you wish to fight, we will fight. But you must understand I will only defend myself.”

Cloud lowered his sword. Sephiroth was wearing a black turtleneck and denim jeans. He certainly didn’t look relaxed, but he didn’t seem like he was even vaguely bloodthirsty. He looked almost human, though his hair, eyes, and complexion did him no favors. More than anything, he just seemed tired. Much to his chagrin, he was still... very beautiful.

“I didn’t call you here to fight. There is something I must ask of you.”

Cloud slid his sword back onto his back, but remained cautious. “...Well, what is it?”

“I need Aerith’s phone number.”

“You most certainly do not.” Cloud said, without missing a beat.

Sephiroth put his palm to his face. “No, I mean… I really do need to contact her. I don’t have any ulterior motives.”

“Oh,” Cloud said, sitting down on the bed. “For what?”

“...Cloud, there is a lot that I’d like to say to you. But I don’t have time to explain.”

“I’m here, aren’t I? Considering the fact that you’re alive, you have all the time in the fucking world. Are you still with Shinra? Did they put you up to this?”

“No.” Sephiroth said. “They text me every day, begging me to come back. But I have no business with them. Not anymore.”

Cloud considered the facts in front of him and nodded slowly. “Do you… know why you’re alive? I was certain that I…”

“I know,” he said. “It’s not that simple. Jenova...she…”

“Didn’t I kill her too?! My god, when will it end…” he put his face in his hands.

All of the dreams, the words he heard… they were real after all.


	7. Chapter 7

“Cloud, I understand how you’re feeling, but--”

“Do you? I’m _really_ not sure that you do.”

“Mm. I see. If you’d like me to leave, I would be happy to.”

“This is _your_ hotel room, bastard. And anyway… I’m tired. I have a lot to think about now that you’re alive again.”

“Very well.” Sephiroth thought for a moment, and started towards the door. He could rent Cloud a room for the night as a peace offering, but he knew that it wouldn’t mean much to him. Sharing a building with your enemy didn’t usually lead to a good night’s sleep. 

“Wait,” Cloud said, all too hasty.

“What is it?”

Cloud was feisty as usual, but he didn’t seem like he would actually threaten his life. For all that he knows, he could die, but would come back, so killing him would be useless. If he was living his old life, that would have been an amazing power to hold over Cloud. Now, he was just tired. 

Cloud was tired, too. Sephiroth knew what he had to do.

He looked down. “What... do we do now?”

Sephiroth put a hand to his chin. “I know it’s not ideal, but if you want to keep watch over me, you can stay here for the night.”

Cloud glared up at him, clearly skeptical. He gave a cautious side eye.

“I accept.”

Something in Cloud felt a level of excitement that he hadn’t felt for a long time.

++

To minimize tensions and possible suspicions of nefarious plans, Sephiroth would announce when leaving the room. This time, he quietly said he was going to change. He returned shirtless with his shirt neatly folded and draped over his arm, and some long, black loosely fitting sweatpants. Cloud wished that he wasn’t embarrassed, but he was, and so he pretended that there was something he urgently needed to look at in the opposite direction.

Sephiroth walked over to the little closet where hangers and a cheap iron were stored. There was an extra comforter neatly folded on the shelf.

“Cloud, I found an extra blanket.”

Ah. The realization hit him. He would be sharing a bed with Sephiroth. It was enough space for two people, sure, but clearly Sephiroth was unbothered by it. 

Sephiroth spread it on the floor lengthwise, pinching the corners with his fingers, and lowered himself down and sat crosslegged. Cloud watched him from the bed, leaning on the headboard. It was strange to see him doing something so simple and domestic, rather than slaying monsters, covered in splattered blood. Cloud felt equal despair and longing with a twinge in his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay!!! i have no excuse except that i wasn't inspired. thank you for reading as usual and feel free to leave a comment :3


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cloud goes to the stoooore

Sephiroth divided his hair into three strands and began braiding it with a hairtie hanging out of his mouth. Cloud looked on in awe.

“You… braid your hair?”

“It will get everywhere otherwise.” Sephiroth said simply, looking up at Cloud, and continued.

Cloud felt a strange sense of pride being above Sephiroth for once. He was so tall.

The atmosphere was quiet, but not awkwardly so. It was… comfortable, strangely. Cloud, however, could not take it. His old feelings for Sephiroth were returning. He didn’t want to believe it. Though he couldn’t forget what he had done, his feelings of love and admiration bubbled back up once again. He shamed himself for it again and again, but it was becoming harder.

“I’m… going to buy snacks. Do you want anything?” 

Sephiroth, with his hairtie still intact, shook his head gently.

He took the hairtie out of his mouth and looked up at Cloud with something that was not quite a smile. “Thank you, though.”

Cloud felt almost as if his hair were raising on end. He stormed out of the room unceremoniously.

_ Sephiroth, polite? What a joke. _

Cloud stomped out of the rural hotel to find that it was indeed too fucking cold. A snowstorm, in fact. It hit him from all sides, melting on his sleeveless outfit and chilling him deeply. Still, his frustration with the weather stopped all of his thoughts until he arrived at the convenience store.

It was annoyingly brightly lit with fluorescent lights. A single woman stood at the counter, smiling when he looked over. Packaged snacks reflected the light as he browsed. He knew that Sephiroth didn’t want anything, but he looked more pale than he should have. He should at least eat something. Considering that he was a super soldier, he probably didn’t need to eat very much at all, but… hmmm…

Cloud thought to himself in the aisle with a snack bag in hand, his index finger wrapped around his chin, tapping his outstretched foot. What  _ would _ Sephiroth like? 

Unable to decide, he grabbed a two of a sweet biscuit snack that he liked and a salty snack, in case Sephiroth would want it. 

_ Why is he being so nice anyway? There’s no reason. He could just as easily slit my throat while I’m sleeping. _ Cloud’s instincts overrode his rationality quite often, but this time, it found its way in. 

_ What if he just IS that polite because of his job? He couldn’t get that far in the world just being a jerk all the time,  _ Cloud considered. 

He shook the thoughts away and leafed through the gil in his pocket at the checkout. He would continue to be cautious, but he would try to not be vicious without reason. He assured himself that he did  _ indeed _ have a reason to be cautious and even vicious, but what would it bring him now? 

“Stay warm out there!” The woman loudly said, albeit good-naturedly, as he pushed the door open. The snowstorm was still going, but he made his way back to the hotel with renewed ease. He would’ve liked to have more of a spring in his step, because he certainly felt that way, but he didn’t want to slip.

He wondered which snack Sephiroth would like better, but if he didn’t know, he would have to force him to eat. It was only right.

**Author's Note:**

> WOW HI. i haven't written anything that's set up to be this long in a while, but uh, if you can't tell (which is fine~) this is supposed to be a ff7/monogatari au. it's not very heavily inspired by monogatari as much as the part in koimonogatari with the phone call/two people that Dont Really Like Each Other having to cooperate against An Evil. i would recommend it, so please consider checking it out!


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